Wichita eagle., 1887-09-09
THE FISHERY COMMISSION.

Secretary Bayard tells Washington cor
respondent of the New York Times thai
he is now hopeful of speedy, just and
honorable" settlement of the fishery ques
ton. Instead of having to deal with the
government at Ottawa through the govern
| ment at London-a roundabout, tedious
and most unsatisfactory process-the state
department is now to discuss matters with
ROYAL commission clothed with full
uthority to speak both for Great Britain
and for the Dominion of Canada. AL
though he has no official information on
be subject, Mr.. Bayard's impression is
that this royal commission will be COM
posed of Mr.. Joseph Chamberlain, Sir
John A. Macdonald (or some other repre-
sentative CanadiaD), and the British minis
ter at Washington. While there is
no necessity" for the ap
pointment of American commission
ers, since the secretary of state could con.
duct the negotiations in person if be chose.
Mr.. Bayard gave the correspondent to IN
derstand that three would be appointed
probably Mr. Bayard himself and "two
other able international jurists," the cor
respondent guesses. The commissioners
will sit In Washington and the result OF
their labors-whether a new treaty or a
modification of the existing treaty-will be
submitted to the president and senate of the
United States, as well as to The British gov
ernment. At Ottawa, according to dis
patch to the same newspaper, it Is thought
that the Canadian commissioner will be MIR.
Thompson, the minister of justice in the
Macdonald cabinet. The Toronto Globe
fears that the English commissioners will
let Mr.. Bayard pull the wool over their
eyes, and that Canada's interests and honor
will be sacrificed. Mr.. Smalley telegraphs
from London to the New York Tribune
that the announcement of the commission
was as complete surprise there as here.
He adds:
The Salisbury government have never
been free from anxiety. They were quite
aware of the hostile spirit in which Canada
conducted her proceedings, and they have
long been apprehensive that the vexatious
interference of the Canadians with
American vessels might lead to serious
collision. All the pressure, therefore, has
come from England. The American gov
eminent long refused to enter upon dis
cussion of new treaty while SO many
cases of Canadian outrage remained un-
settled and unsatisfied under the old.
Lord Salisbury could not see his way to
any adjustment. The sympathies of
Englishmen with English colonies have
lately been strong. Their knowledge of
the facts was slight and their prejudices
might readily have been worked upon, had
this government, embedded as it is in other
difficulties, thrown over the Canadians or
insisted on some mitigation OF
their seventies to American fishermen.
Hence Lord Salisbury's pertinacious efforts
for that new commission he has got; hence
the eagerness to make 1t known before the
subject was quite ripe for publicity, as it is
assumed here that the Canadians cannot
continue their enterprise against American
vessels, now that the whole question IS to
be sent before the new commission. That
is the best excuse for Sir James Fergusons
haste.
The understanding in London Is that one
of the American commissioners will be a
Democrat, one a Republican, and one "a
of the fishing interests,
W hich prompts the Hartford Courant to
ask: "What has party politics to do in
such matter as this" The right thing for
the president and Mr. Bayard to do would
be to find the three men In the country best
fitted for the work to be done and then
a ppoint them without regard to their pol